


Don't Worry, You Don't Have to Stay the Same

by ryelined



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Happy, Minor Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-17
Updated: 2016-10-17
Packaged: 2018-08-22 23:18:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8305048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ryelined/pseuds/ryelined
Summary: Saeran is learning that he can be happy here.





	

**Author's Note:**

> A/N about the location: considering that mysme never really say where saeyoung's bunker is (but considering that it can still be easily reached by other rfa members) for this fic ive decided that it's hidden under an abandoned farm warehouse

Saeran likes to be alone. When he’s alone, he doesn’t have to worry, or think, or even exist. It’s barely a state of being, but he prefers it that way. That’s what he’s been telling himself for a long time.

The cold from the stone steps outside of the abandoned farmhouse start to seep into his legs, but he doesn’t mind. A cigarette burns in his hand. Overhead, dark, towering storm clouds are sweeping in across empty fields. Saeran breathes in the cool wind, and it feels like he’s never really _breathed_ before now.

Without any warning, a searing bolt of light flashes across the sky. Saeran’s eyes open wide in awe, and they stay that way as the thunder rolls over him, shaking everything. For the first time in a long time, Saeran feels alive.

Behind him, the front door opens. Saeran keeps his eyes focused on the sky, but turns his ear to listen.

“Saeran!” His brother’s voice sounds behind him right before he appears in his peripheral vision, plopping down next to him on the steps. “I was looking for you.” Saeran doesn’t say anything, but not because he is ignoring Saeyoung. He feels a pang of annoyance at having his solitude interrupted, but he doesn’t find himself minding as much as he thinks he should.

“It’s going to rain soon,” Saeyoung says, his voice light and upbeat. “It’s supposed to be a big storm.” Another streak of lightning flashes behind an approaching cloud. Saeran exhales a cloud of smoke.

“I didn’t know storms were so beautiful.”

“I’m glad you think so.” Saeran doesn’t turn to look at him, but he can hear the smile in his voice. “We should go in before it comes.”

“I want to watch it.” A low laugh escapes from Saeyoung’s mouth. Saeran drags on his cigarette.

“You can’t be outside during a storm. It’s dangerous.” On the exhale, Saeran contemplates informing Saeyoung that he doesn’t care, but he decides against it. This moment is nice, and he doesn’t need to ruin it by saying something pessimistic. He throws his cigarette butt down on the sidewalk, crushing it under his heel.

“I’ll go inside when the rain starts.”

“Fair enough... “ Saeyoung hums, satisfied. “Can I watch it with you?”

“Of course.” The answer comes out more compliant than usual. Maybe it’s his focus on the sky; he doesn’t have to effort to put up his usual wall. And lately it’s been taking more and more effort.

It doesn’t take long for the rain to come. Neither of them have said anything--they’re content to share a comfortable silence with each other and the storm. The first drop falls on Saeran’s hand, and then his hair, and then his cheek, and then it all comes down. Saeyoung jumps up with a yelp, flinging himself under the safety of the overhanging roof. Saeran doesn’t join him.

“Saeran! You’re going to get a cold!” Saeyoung stretches his arm out just far enough to pull on Saeran’s hood. “Come on!” Saeran sighs as a raindrop slides down his forehead to his nose and stands up, much more slowly than Saeyoung.

He can still heard the rain pattering from inside. The thunder too. It’s kind of like watching it if he can at least tell it’s still there. But that plan doesn’t last long--Saeyoung’s already heading across the empty room to the basement where the bunker is hidden.

“Saeyoung, can we stay up here?” he asks. His feet are barely inside. Saeyoung, fifteen feet away, spins on his heels after hearing Saeran’s question and bounds back over to him in two steps.

“Nope,” he sings, seemingly excited about something, but Saeran has no idea what he would be excited about. He doesn’t trust himself to leave it to his imagination. Saeyoung takes his arm and pulls him away from the front dooe and the storm. “I have something to show you.”

Saeyoung is disappointed, but he doesn’t try to fight it and lets Saeyoung pull him along. As they’re going down the stairs to the basement-bunker, Saeyoung jumps behind Saeran and covers his eyes with his hands.

“Close your eyes!” he shouts, too gleefully for Saeran’s comfort level. Saeran clenches his jaw.

“You don’t have to put your hands over my eyes if you’re just going to tell me to close them.” Saeyoung isn’t deterred by his tone.

“It’s a precautionary measure,” he snorts. “Just be excited.”

“I’m never excited.”

“Well, just pretend.” Saeran just grumbles something incoherent and lets Saeyoung guide him down the stairs. The stairs don’t go that deep, but Saeran almost slips on practically every step because Saeyoung is so excited that he forgets Saeran can’t see.

Somehow, Saeran makes it to the bottom avoiding a serious injury. However, his patience isn’t looking so good.

“Can I look now?” he mutters, already bringing his hands up to try and push Saeyoung’s away. Saeyoung doesn’t cooperate.

“Not yet! I want you to guess what it is first.”

“I have no idea.” Saeran rolls his eyes even though the gesture can’t be seen.

“I’ll give you a hint! What’s something we never got to do as kids?”

“Let me think,” Saeran says, and then continues without pausing to think. “Go to school, eat, be treated as human b--”

“I’m talking more specifically here,” Saeyoung interrupts. “Think rainy days. And blankets. And pillows. And forts.” None of these things help Saeran.

“You got me.” Saeyoung just groans in defeat and removes his hands, allowing light to flood back into Saeran’s eyes.

When he opens his eyes, he isn’t sure what he sees. Strung up between tables, chairs, and a random assortment of other furniture is a patchwork of blankets that make a little room. He’s at a loss.

“I think I did a pretty good job,” Saeyoung boasts beside him, a proud smirk pulling on his lips.

“What are we supposed to do with it?” He hears Saeyoung give an exasperated sigh.

“We go in it!” he says matter of factly. Saeran raises an eyebrow.

“...And then what?” Saeyoung opens his mouth, his face implying that the answer is obvious, but nothing comes out. Saeran waits.

“Hmm…” Saeyoung pauses, scrunching his face in thought. “I haven’t gotten that far yet. But we can figure it out!”

“Pass,” Saeran says, put off by his enthusiasm. “I’d rather go read.” Saeyoung’s eyes don’t dim.

“Read in the fort!”

“By myself.”

“Oh…” Saeyoung’s face falls into a pout. It’s horribly convincing, even by Saeran’s standards. “I just thought you would like it…” Saeran internally curses himself as he allows a tiny spike of guilt to bother him. He doesn’t let any hint of it show in his expression, but inwardly he isn’t doing so well. Saeyoung’s puppy eyes don’t relent, no matter how intensely he glares at him.

“Just let me go get my book,” he sighs before stalking off to get said item. Saeyoung cheers behind him.

The inside of the fort is coated with blankets and presumably every pillow Saeyoung could find. It’s kind of nice. Kind of.

The fort is dimly lit by string of lights that had been hung up. It’s just enough for Saeran to read with. The two pass the time in a comfortable silence. Saeran reads his book, and Saeyoung seems content to just lie there. However, after a while, Saeran lifts his eyes up to see Saeran looking at him. He tries to ignore it but finds he can’t concentrate at all.

“Saeyoung,” Saeran says after approximately five minutes. “Stop staring at me.” Saeran picks his head up to meet Saeyoung’s toothy smile. “It’s weird.”

“Oh!” Saeyoung sounds like he’s just realized he’d been staring. “Sorry! I’ll close my eyes.” He puts his hands over his eyes, but his smile doesn’t fade. Saeran continues to glare.

“Stop smiling,” he demands. Saeyoung struggles to twist his smile into a frown, but he can’t manage to make it stay. He ends up smiling just as brightly as he had before. Saeran grimaces. “You’re still smiling.”

“I can’t stop.” His hands are still over his eyes. “I’m too happy.” 

“Well, stop.”

“No.” Huffing, Saeran reopens his book and tries again to read. He’s barely gotten a paragraph in when he see Saeyoung shift out of the corner of his eye. He whips his head up to see Saeyoung’s eyes peeking out between his fingers. He hasn’t stopped smiling. Saeran shuts his book again.

“Can I help you?” he grumbles, eyebrows drawn together. Saeyoung let’s out a little laugh.

“No.” Saeran inhales through his nose and exhales most of his patience.

“My conditions for being here are that I can read, and since that isn’t being met--”

“ _No!_ ” Saeyoung lets out a whine and jumps on Saeran’s forearm, putting his head down pleadingly. His voice is muffled by the floor. Saeran tries noncommittally to push him off, but it doesn’t work. “I’ll be sad if you leave.”

“Okay.”

“ _Saeran…_ ”

“Is it that important?” Saeyoung lifts his head up to beam at Saeran.

“Yes!” Saeran isn’t convinced.

“Why?”

“I want to make up for lost time.”

“Okay,” Saeran mumbles, looking away. He doesn’t know how to put words to anything he wants to say, so he has no choice but to settle for that. Saeyoung lets go of his arm and cradles his head in his hands.

“You don’t have to say anything,” he says, reading Saeran’s mind. “I’m just happy that you’re here.” Saeran still doesn’t turn to look at him. He messes with the curled edge of his book cover. 

A part of his mind, an voice that’s been with him for a long time now, is telling him to say something that will push Saeyoung away. He doesn’t _like_ to be close to people, he doesn’t _want_ to be close to anyone. But, Saeran realizes as he replays Saeyoung’s words in his head, that voice no longer sounds like his own. He takes a deep breath.

“...Thank you.” His words are barely audible, but he knows that Saeyoung can hear him. “I-I…” He struggles to get the words out, to gather the courage to say something he’s never said before. Saeyoung waits patiently. “I missed this. I… missed you.”

“I missed you too,” Saeyoung says without missing a beat, his voice just above a whisper. “I’m so sorry.” Saeran turns his head to look at Saeyoung. His face is crumpled, his eyes glossy.

“Don’t start crying.”

“I-I won’t,” he sniffs. Saeran lets out an exhale that’s almost a laugh. He looks up towards the ceiling.

“Do you think it’s still raining?”

“We can go check!” Saeran says, pushing himself up and wiping his nose on his sleeve. “It’s like an adventure.”

“An adventure to the front door…?” Saeyoung winks at him, and the smile is back on his face.

“Exactly!”

Outside, the air is cool and fresh. The sky is clear, the stars are bright, and dewdrops still cling to the grass. Saeran lights a cigarette.

“You know something?” Saeyoung says from beside him on the steps. He doesn’t wait for Saeran to answer. “I can never decide if I like before the storm of after it better.” Saeran takes a drag of his cigarette and stares up at the stars. He waits a breath before talking.

“Then don’t pick.” Another pause. His voice becomes a bit louder, a bit more confident. “You don’t have to decide. Don’t limit yourself.”

“ _Ooooh!_ ” Saeyoung whistles, his eyes wide in awe. “So wise, Saeran!” Saeran cracks a smile.

“Shut up.”

“You got it,” Saeyoung laughs. Another few silent minutes pass between them. The lack of words isn’t noticed. Saeran feels something in him shift and be lifted off, carried away on the wind that blows past.

“Saeyoung?” Saeran’s voice is soft. His normal harsh tone is missing. But not missed.

“Hn?”

“Are you still happy?” Saeran turns to see Saeyoung beaming at him.

“Of course.” Saere inhales, lets his lips curve up, and exhales.

“I think I am too.”


End file.
